Rare heat burst makes central Nebraska feel like Vegas

Published Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 10:13 am / Updated at 10:33 am

By Kevin Cole / World-Herald staff writer

For a couple hours early Tuesday some central Nebraska communities could have been confused — meteorologically speaking — with Las Vegas.

A rare atmospheric condition called a heat burst pushed temperatures in Hastings from 73 degrees at 2 a.m. to 97 degrees at 4 a.m. Humidity dipped to 14 percent.

Similar temperature swings were reported in Grand Island (73 to 99 degrees between 3 and 5 a.m.), Kearney (75 to 97) and Aurora (73 to 91).

“Heat bursts usually occur at night and there has to be a dying thunderstorm around,” said meteorologist Jeff Halblaub of the National Weather Service in Hastings. “It is a very interesting phenomenon. These things are rare but they do appear.”

The last time Hastings had a heat burst was June 20, 2006. That morning, the mercury climbed from 75 to 94 degrees before sunrise.

Cozad residents woke this morning to a weather phenomenon as a heat burst rolled through town. Temperatures rose 20 degrees in a matter of minutes while winds reached speeds of 75 miles per hour.

Many had no idea what was happening. Mike Steinwart, Cozad Street Department, said it came quickly. "No warning, not even a whistle, I thought it was a tornado. The way people explained. I thought it was a tornado, but they say it was a heat burst."

Trees were thrown into houses and cars but no injuries were reported. There was at least one close call. Nancy Wurst said her son just missed injury as a tree crashed into his car. "He was about a minute from being in the car he was standing at the door getting ready to come outside to go to work. If that would have happened one minute later he could have been in the car."

The last heat burst in Nebraska was in hastings in 2oo6.
http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=8563368

Temperatures rose 20 degrees in a matter of minutes while winds reached speeds of 75 miles per hour.
(from news video at the above link)